so slippery so weak various wavering changeable inconstant as you see the private Reason of the Learned is to be rely'd on by them as their Guide in expounding of Scripture How can you imagine it possible for all Christians to concur in the same Belief while the Learned who read and expound the Scripture give differing and contrary interpretations of it For as long as the Scripture is no otherwise in their Heads and Hearts than by the interpretation they make of it their Faith must necessarily be as various as their Interpretation And is not the Story of the Manna which follows as applicable to the Learned For was not the taste of the Manna as different to the Priests as it was to the People Did it not relish according to that kind of Meat that was most grateful to every Priest's Palate Now if the Priests in Canaan had receiv'd a Command of bringing forth that sort of Meat whose taste should be like that of the Manna they ate in the Desert was it possible they should all agree in their Dish Since tho the Manna was the same they all fed on yet the Relish was as different as their Tempers and Palats Don't you therefore see that Men will never be of one Spirit and one Mind until the reading of the Scripture be prohibited to the Learned and not to some but to all his Holiness as Infallible only excepted For if it be allow'd to the Cardinals notwithstanding their Eminences above others together with his Holiness they will never agree in the sense of it For I can tell you of many Cardinals who have differ'd from his Holiness and among themselves too about the sense of it Is it not then as plain as Demonstration that there will be no end of Controversies as long as the Scriptures are read by any Man in the World besides the Pope And perhaps not then neither for since he is not infallible but when he speaks from his Chair which seldom happens at other times he may chance to contradict himself and give one sense of Scripture this Year another the next It were therefore most advisable could it possibly be effected that the Book it self were utterly abolished Let not any Man interpret this to the disparagement of Learning since nothing can be more evident than that the Learned have vast Advantages above the rest of Mankind for attaining to the true meaning of the more obscure Texts of Scripture provided they sincerely search after Truth and are so humble so sensible of their own liableness to mistake that they daily implore the Divine Assistance But if they be destitute of these Qualifications they are not only as subject to err but to err more dangerously than others In the beginning of the 10th Chapter the Representer talks again at the same impertinent rate so agreeable to him is this way of reasoning that he naturally falls into it in every Chapter But the Vanity of it lies so open that it need not be further exposed If any Man please to consult the place I shall leave it to himself to judg whether it be not every whit as applicable against permitting the Scripture to the Learned as the Vulgar But the Representer may say The Church of Rome does not allow the Learned to interpret Scripture according to their own private Reason For the Council of Trent has decreed That no Man presume to interpret Scripture contrary to the sense of the Church or the unanimous consent of the Fathers And has not the Church of England her Confession of Faith contrary to which she allows none of her Members to interpret Scripture Does she not admit all such Traditional Interpretations as can be derived from the Fountain And for all such Texts as are obscure and doubtful does she not direct the Vulgar to consult their Guides Tho it is true she does not command them to believe that White is Black or that Vice is Vertue if the Priest says that it is But however the Church of Rome denies them the liberty of interpreting the Scripture in their own sense it is certain that they commonly take it else how comes it that they give such different senses of the same Scripture How comes it that many of the Learned expound the sixth Chapter of St. John of the sacramental eating of Christ's Flesh and many as learned as they say that no such matter is there intended How comes it when so many tell us that these words This is my Body are so plain for Transubstantiation that he must be quite blind who does not see it that others whose sight is as good as theirs tell us they are not able to see this in them Do these Learned Men in their Exposition of the Scripture give us the sense of the Roman Church or do they not If not they follow their own private Reason if they do their Church gives contrary senses of Scripture and is as far from being one in this respect as it is from being Catholic He confesses p. 63. That some of the Protestants to keep up the Face of the Church do speculatively contend for Authority and Guides But then he says In Fact they defeat all these their Pretensions How do they in Fact defeat them Because they own no Authority so great or safe but it is to be subjected to the controul of every private Examiner They own an Authority so great as to Matters of External Government as to be subject to the controul of no Man who lives in Communion with the Church But he means an Authority so great that whatsoever the Church commands and prescribes to be receiv'd as the Truth and Faith of Christ it ought to be received But can the Church have no Authority unless Men are bound to believe without examination whatsoever she prescribes to be believed If so then had she no Authority in our Saviour's and his Apostles days no nor for several Ages after them For if any such Authority had been own'd in the fourth Century how came it to pass that after the Nicene Council the Arian Heresy spread more than it had done before If this be to open a Gate to all the Fanaticisms and Quakerisms in the World 't is certain the Protestants did not first open it but it was long before open'd by our Blessed Saviour when he gave this Command to his Disciples Call no Man Father upon the Earth for one is Your Father which is in Heaven neither be ye called Masters for one is Your Master even Christ (h) Mat. 23. 9 10. As much as to say There is none upon Earth by whose sense a Christian is to be absolutely determin'd his Faith is not to be resolv'd into any Man's Authority But by the Creed all Christians are bound to believe the Holy Catholic Church Yes That there is such a Church and that this Church teaches all Truths necessary to be known But it is one thing to believe this another thing to believe as
to forbear the reading of the Scriptures who do not understand them Secondly That they who thus read them with a pious Mind shall be graciously accepted and rewarded by God. These Inferences are not mine but both of them St. Chrysostom's It follows Since therefore the Papists in delivering the Scriptures come nearest to this method commanded by God in the Old Law prescribed and practised by Christ and his Apostles in the New c. If he mean that this was the only Method commanded by God in the Old Law and prescribed by Christ in the New I have already shew'd it to be false If he mean that this was one Method then how widely remote the Conclusion is from the Premisses will appear only by setting them together One Method commanded by God in the Old Law was that the Priests and Levites should read the Law and explain it to the People the like Method was prescribed and practised by Christ and his Apostles in the New Law Therefore the Papists in withholding the Scripture from the Common People come nearest to the Method commanded by God in the Old Law and prescribed by Christ and his Apostles in the New. Where lies the Connection And yet I confess it follows as clearly as this That the Scriptures were not in the Vulgar Tongue because St. Paul said to Timothy Thou hast learned the Holy Scriptures from a Child (a) Ledesma de Script Divinis quavis lingua non legendis c. 5. I should have thought the quite contrary had followed had I not been taught otherwise by one that follows the guidance of the Infallible Church Had the Representer spoken the whole Truth in the Premisses the Conclusion had been unavoidable for the Protestants who in delivering the Scripture to the People observe the same Method that God appointed under the Law and Christ and his Apostles under the Gospel What follows upon this Head we have had before SECT III. That which the Representer reckons as another Misconstruction Inference 3. of the Protestants is this That the Reason why the Vulgar Papists are not permitted to read the Bible is for fear lest they should discover the Errors of their Religion (g) Chap. 8. p. 53. 'T is true the Protestants assign this for one Reason but when he brings in the Protestant saying I can apprehend no other he misrepresents them because they assign others tho they take this to be the chief Now this he says is a Misconstruction that lies so open that there needs no more than a glimpse of Reason to discover it Let us therefore see whether there be so much as a glimpse in those pretended Reasons he brings to confute it which are these two 1. That tho the Vulgar and Vnlearned of the Papists have not in some Countries the Bible promiscuously allow'd amongst them yet that in those same Countries and all others there 's no College Vniversity Community or place of Learning but where the Scriptures are publickly read and expounded (h) Ibid. 2. That there can be no ground for this Pretension at least here in England where the Bible in English or the Rhemes Testament is to be found in most Catholic Families (i) P. 54. 1. That in all Popish Countries there 's no College Vniversity Community or place of Learning but where the Scripture is publickly read and expounded Now if they viz. the Protestants should consider this is it possible says the Representer for them to believe that that Restraint is upon the Vulgar for fear they should see into the Follies of their Religion It is possible and because we see a Papist can believe contrary to Sense and Reason I add that it is not only possible but there is great Reason for Protestants to believe this And that 1. Because even Papists themselves believe it So did the Bishops that met at Bononia to consult about the establishment of the Roman Church For having given it as their last and weightiest Advice to Julius III That he labour to the uttermost that as little as may be of the Gospel especially in the Vulgar Tongue be read in the Cities that were under his Dominions and that that little might suffice which is wont to be read in the Mass They add This in short is the Book which besides others hath raised those Tempests and Whirlwinds which we are almost carried away with And the truth is if any Man shall diligently consider this Book and then view in order one after another the things which are wont to be done in our Churches he will see that there is a very great difference between them and that this our Doctrine is altogether diverse from that and oft-times even contrary to it which as soon as Men understand being stirred up by some Learned Men of our Adversaries they never give over clamouring against us till they have render'd us odious to all Men k Hic ille est liber qui praeter caeteros hasce nobis tempestates ac turbines concitavit quibus prope abrepti sumus Et sane si quis illum diligenter expendar deinde quae in nostris fieri Ecclesiiis consueverunt singula ordine contemplatur videbit plurimum inter se dissidere hanc doctrinam nostram ab illa prorsus diversam esse ac saepe contrariam etiam Quod simul atque homines intelligunt à docto scilicet aliquo Adversariorum nostrorum stimulati non ante clamandi in nos finem faciunt donec re tandem pervulgata nos invisos omnibus reddiderint Consil de Rom. Eccles Stab Of the same Belief was Peter Sutor as appears by these words Since many things are deliver'd to be observed which are not expresly in the Holy Scriptures will not the Vnlearned observing these things be ready to murmur complaining that so great Burdens are laid upon them by which their Gospel-Liberty is sorely abridged And will they not be easily withdrawn from observing the Constitutions of the Church when they shall see that they are not contain'd in the Law of Christ l Sed cum multa palam tradantur observanda quae Sacris in literis expresse non habentur nonne Idiotae haec animadvertentes facile murmurabunt conquerentes cur tantae sibi imponantur Sarcinae quibus libertas Evangelica ita gravicer elevatur Nonne facile retrahentur ab observantia Institutionum Ecclesiasticarum quando eas in lege Christi animadverterint non contineri De Translat Bibl. c. 22. Fo. 96. To which may be added all those which make a vast number who as the Cardinal Rodolpho Pio di Carpi believe that if the Bible be in the Vulgar Tongue all Men will become Hereticks m Soave 's Hist of the Counc of Trent l. 5. p. 460. For who do they usually mean by Hereticks but those who by reading the Bible do first discover and then renounce their Errors Now tho I confess there are some things believed by Papists which I think it
THE Peoples Right To Read the Holy Scripture ASSERTED In ANSWER to the 6th 7th 8th 9th and 10th Chapters of the Second Part of the POPISH REPRESENTER LONDON Printed for Richard Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCLXXXVII IMPRIMATUR Hen. Maurice Rmo in Christo P. D. Wilhelmo Archiepiscop Cant. a Sacris Maii 27. 1687. The Contents Four Things proposed to be treated of I. WHAT the Practice of the Church of Rome in this this Matter is II. That this Practice is plainly contrary to the Will of God to the Reason of the Thing and to the Practice of the Christian Church for more than a thousand Years after Christ III. The Insufficiency of those Reasons by which the Representer endeavours to justify it IV. The Truth of those Inferences the Protestants draw from it Page 1 2. CHAP. I. THE Practice of the Church of Rome in this Matter represented Pag. 2 c. CHAP. II. THE Contrariety of this Practice to the Will of God to Reason and to the Practice of the Christian Church for more than a thousand Years Pag. 8 c. SECT I. It 's contrariety to the Will of God appears in that God 1. Caused the Scriptures to be written in a Language understood by the Vulgar Pag. 9. 2. Adress'd them to the Vulgar Pag. 11. 3. Commanded the Vulgar to converse familiarly with them Pag. 12. SECT II. It 's contrariety to Reason shew'd both from the Scope and End of the Scriptures and from the Testimonies of many Learned Men of the Church of Rome Pag. 14 SECT III. It 's contrariety to the Practice of the Christian Church proved by unquestionable Testimonies for twelve hundred Years downward p. 17 c. When and upon what occasion a Restraint was first laid upon the reading of the Scriptures p. 26 CHAP. III. THE Reasons the Representer offers to justify this Practice of the Church of Rome Pag. 27 SECT I. The general Reason viz. the Mischiefs that arise from the promiscuous reading of the Scripture consider'd and the absurdity of it exposed p. 28 c. SECT II. The Mischiefs objected are all of the same kind p. 33In particular these three 1. The Divisions that are among Christians 2. As many different Bibles as there are different Heads 3. Not only several Persons but the same Person many times hath different Bibles I. That the Divisions among Christians arise solely or principally from the reading of the Bible by the Vulgar 1. It is notoriously false 2. In case it were true it would not be of force to infer his Conclusion p. 36 It is notoriously false In that 1. There were Divisions among the ancient Guides of the Church ibid. 2. There have been and still are Divisions yea as many among the Learned of the Church of Rome as among the Protestants p. 37 The Learned Romanists are divided among themselves in all those Points in which they are divided from Protestants ibid. 4. Those very pernicious Doctrines and Practices which the Representer himself mentions are deriv'd from the Learned especially from the Learned of the Church of Rome p. 39 5. The Divisions among the Vulgar for the most part are not owing to themselves but to the Learned 41 If it were true that the Divisions among Christians arise from the reading of the Bible by the Vulgar yet it would not be sufficient Reason for denying the Bible to them p. 42 II. The second Mischief viz. If the Bible be allowed the Vulgar there will be as many different Bibles among them as there are Heads p. 43 That every difference in Sense makes not a different Bible p. 44 The vanity of this Reason appears in that 1. It is of equal force against the reading of the Scripture by the Learned yea of much greater p. 45 2. Where the Vulgar are not permitted to read the Bible there are as many different Bibles in the Representer's Sense as where they are p. 46 3. The Argument retorted p. 47 III. The third Mischief may also be objected with as much Reason against the reading of the Scripture by the Learned particularly by the Roman Bishops Cardinals and Popes p. 48 SECT III. The Reasons the Representer gives why the Vulgar so differ in the sense of Scripture are two viz. The Obscurity of the Scripture and the setting up every Man's private Reason to be judg of it p. 50 1. The Obscurity of the Scriptures ibid. What the Protestants affirm of the plainness of the Scripture is no more than what the Ancient Fathers what the Bishop of Rome formerly and what many Learned Romanists of this present Age have affirm'd p. 51 That the Disagreement about the sense of Scripture proceeds not from the obscurity of it p. 52 From whence this Disagreement proceeds p. 53 2. The setting up every Man 's private Reason to be judg of Scripture p. 54 The Protestants make not Reason judg of Scripture as the Socinians do ibid. They make Reason no otherwise Judg than as our Blessed Saviour and his Apostles have allowed commanded p. 55 The Clergy of the Church of Rome notwithstanding their loud Cry against private Reason make it Judg as much as Protestants p. 56 His Argument from the Oneness of the Christian Faith answered and retorted p. 57 58 c. His other Arguments from the Authority of the Church the Creed Heb. 13. 17. 1 Tim. 3. 15. Mat. 18. 17. answered p. 61 62 c. CHAP. IV. THE false Constructions or wrong Inferences as the Representer calls them which the Protestants make from this Practice are three 1. That the Vulgar Papists are deprived of the Word of God. 2. That they take up all their Belief upon trust 3. That the Reason why they are not permitted to read the Bible is for fear least they should discover the Errors of their Religion p. 65 SECT I. The first Protestant Inference justified and the Representer's Reasons to the contrary shew'd to be idle and insignificant p. 65 66 67 c SECT II. That the Vulgar Papist takes all his Belief upon trust p. 7â— This shew'd in each of those Heads mentioned by the Representer And the absurdity of his Reasons to the contrary maâ— manifest p. 71 72 7â— SECT III. The third Inference vindicated and his two Reasons â— it shew'd to be of no force p. â—â— No thanks to them that the Bible is not denied the Learned p. â—â— That it is the Bible it self they look upon as mischievous p. â—â— Some Learned Men not so well qualified to discover their â—â—rors as some of the Vulgar p. â—â— Many of their Learned Men have discovered their Errors p. â—â— Why more liberty is given to their Vulgar here in Englaâ—â— than in other Countries p. â—â— That the Vulgar here in England have discovered their Errâ—â— p â—â— The Peoples Right to read the Holy Scripture asserted THough it is as evident as that the Scripture is in Print that the free Use of it is by the Roman Clergy
find out or afterward to comprehend And if this be to make private Reason the Rule of Scripture we need not be ashamed to own it For this is no more than what our Blessed Saviour allowed to private Persons He frequently appealed to the Scriptures of the Old Testament but he left it to every man's Reason to judge whether they were for him or against him Yea did he not severely reprove the promiscuous Multitude for not judging even of themselves what was right (b) Luk. 12. 57. For to the Multitude 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 54. these words were directed This is no more than what the Apostles of our Lord have laid as a Duty upon private Christians St. Paul commands them to prove all things (c) 1 Thes 5. 21. and thought the common Christians of the Church of Corinth wise enough to judg what he said (d) 1 Cor. 10. 15. St. John requires them to try the Spirits whether they be of God (e) 1 Joh. 4. 1. And can they do this if they may not judg of the sense of the Scripture This is no more than what St. Chrysostom frequently exhorted the People to and sharply reproved their neglect of it Yea notwithstanding the loud cry they make against private Reason and the private Spirit the Roman Clergy themselves are forced to appeal to it For when to draw Men over from us to them they produce so many Scriptures and so many Reasons such as they are fetch'd from Scripture Do they not make every Man's Reason Judg whether these Scriptures and these Reasons are to the purpose If they say a Man must use his Reason to judg which is the true Church but having once found it he must then take the sense of Scripture upon the Church's word nothing can be said more absurd Because a Man must judg of thesense of the Scripture before he can discern which is the true Church since that can no otherwise be known than by those Characters the Scripture gives of it Besides one of their own Marks of the true Church is the Holiness of its Doctirne (f) Bell. de Notis Eccles l. 4. c. 11. A Man therefore must know what the Doctrine of a Church is before he can know it to be a true Church and how shall a Man know this but by first examining her Doctrine by Scripture A Man must therefore know the sense of Scripture before he can know the true Church But if it should be granted that when a Man once knows the true Church he must then understand the Scripture as the Church does yet tell me why he must do so Is it because he hath Reason or no Reason so to do You will not say because he hath no Reason for you your self give Reasons why he must And if it be because he hath Reason he then makes his Reason Judg of the sense of Scripture as well as the Protestant But Christian Faith he says is but one that 's granted And all Christians are directed to meet in this ONE Faith to be of ONE SPIRIT and ONE MIND to say all the same thing This is also granted Now can you imagine it possible says he for all Christians to concur in the same Belief while the Scripture being but ONE which they read their private Judgments give differing and contrary Interpretations of it and carry them several ways (g) Chap. 9. P. 58. And will it be possible for all Christians to concur in the same Belief if the Scriptures be denied to the Vulgar For do not the private Judgments of the Clergy give as differing and contrary Interpretations of it and carry them as many several ways And therefore are there not as many Divisions among your selves as has been shew'd as there are among Protestants And is it not ridiculous so often to insist upon that as a sovereign Remedy of Divisions which is so ineffectual that the Disease is as prevalent where it is used as where it is not The Representer may perhaps say That their Differences are not in matters of Faith If not then neither are ours since theirs are in matters as considerable as ours are But the best on 't is if notwithstanding their Differences among themselves they are still of one Faith then the Protestants also may be of one Faith not only among themselves but with them too and therefore are no Hereticks since Protestants differ no more from them than many of them do one from another Tho therefore it be the Duty of Christians to be all of one Mind and to speak the same things and tho I see no reason to question but God hath afforded such helps in order thereunto which if they were not wanting to themselves in the use of they might attain to this Vnity Yet we have already seen that the withholding the Scripture from the Vulgar is none of those means and tho some who will be wiser than God have thought fit to make trial of it yet they have hitherto found it unsuccesful And for those means which God hath vouchsafed as little Reason have we to expect that they should by all Christians be faithfully used and applied and they thereby be brought to this perfect Unity as to expect that all Men should become sober and just and charitable and devout which God has made no less their Duty and for the effecting of which he hath vouchsafedas powerful means But now let us again try whether this long Harangue be not of equal force against the reading of the Scripture by the Learned as by the Vulgar If the different Sects in Religion proceed from the reading of the Scripture by the Vulgar how comes it that there are so many different and contrary Divisions Sects and Perswasions among you Romanists How comes it that even in those things that by the differing Parties are reckon'd Matters of Faith there hath been and at present is so great Diversity The business is you suffer every Learned Man's private Reason to be Judg of Scripture which when put to the test proves in thousands and thousands to be no better than Passion Prejudice Interest Imagination Guessing or Fancy Don't you find by experience that there 's no Proposal made but presently the Learned are divided about it as they were in almost every Question in the Council of Trent nor could the Controversies be decided by the Fathers but they were forc'd to make many of their Decrees in such general Terms for the gratifying of the contending Parties as might be interpreted to contrary Senses Don't you see again That almost every Scholar's Reason is different as their Capacity Parts Education Temper Inclinations Impressions are different That as every one has a Head of his own so he has generally a Reason or way of reasoning of his own Nay are not the Learned so inconstant even to themselves too that what is Reason to them at one time is unreasonable at another How then can you permit a thing